We have officially set the date of the next Nick’s Marathon: we will kick things off on Friday, November 10, 2017 at 8pm, and continue through 8pm on Sunday, November 12th.

As always, we will spend those 48 hours playing a variety of video games, all live-streamed on nicksmarathon.org. Visitors to the site are encouraged to watch us, chat with us, and donate to our cause.

This year, we are continuing to raise money to buy video games and handheld systems for the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. RMH-LI is expanding, and the games we give to their locations serve as a welcome and much-needed distraction for families going through incredibly difficult times.

What will we be playing at Nick’s Marathon 2017? We’ll mix it up with older and new games, but expect to see some 16-bit favorites courtesy of the SNES Classic Edition, and the newest Mario title, Super Mario Odyssey.

We’ll have more announcements about this year’s Marathon soon, so stay tuned!

As you may already know, one of the main focuses of our fundraising efforts is to support the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Why? Because when Nick was just seven years old, he participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony there when the House first opened its doors. Now, their playroom bears a plaque with his name.

The systems, controllers, accessories, and games were donated to RMHLI by Nick’s Marathon in 2013. In the years since, we have continued to make sure that the House has the very latest games. New controllers. The most recent Skylanders, Disney Infinity, and amiibo figures. We believe that any children who stay at the Ronald McDonald House shouldn’t just have any old video games; they should have access to the newest releases, the must-haves, the games that they really want.

This year, we will be especially focused on buying the Ronald McDonald House new handheld systems, namely those in the Nintendo 3DS family.

We’ve talked to people who work at the House, and we’ve heard that many children really enjoy having the portable systems. Sometimes it’s because they have compromised immune systems, and they can’t play in a large room with other kids, so they need something they can play alone. Other children don’t necessarily have to be alone, they just prefer some peace and quiet. Other kids have to go to the hospital for long, boring stretches, and having access to a 3DS can make the time go much faster.

We’ve already donated many handhelds to the House over the years, but after hearing just how important they are to the children who stay there, we have decided that this year, a bulk of our proceeds will go towards buying new handhelds and games. We never want a child at the House to be hoping to play a game like Super Mario 3D Land or Animal Crossing or Pokémon Sun/Moon and not be able to because other kids are using the only other handhelds.

In order to make that happen, we need your help. Make a tax-deductible donation today, and help us give the children staying at Ronald McDonald House access to the portable game systems that make them smile when they need it the most.

The Big Game is almost here, and we are once again hosting our annual Super pool!

It works like a standard office pool, only everything is online. Each box costs $10, and you can buy as many as you want. Just use the PayPal button below to pay for your boxes, and then we’ll email you the password so you can make your picks.

Before the big game, numbers will be randomly assigned to the grid. You win when your numbers are the last digits of the scores at the end of each quarter. Half of all the money we raise goes directly to our charity, so here’s how the payouts work:

$500 goes to Nick’s Marathon
$300 goes to the Final Score
$100 goes to the Halftime Score
$50 each go the scores at the end of the 1st and 3rd Quarters

That means you could win up to $500 (if your numbers come up on all 4 quarters!), all while supporting a great cause. It’s win-win!

Good luck, everyone!

*Please note that the purchase of these boxes is not tax-deductible.

]]>http://www.nicksmarathon.org/2016/01/22/the-nm-super-pool-is-back/feed/0Announcing Even More Support for the Ronald McDonald House!http://www.nicksmarathon.org/2015/11/12/announcing-even-more-support-for-the-ronald-mcdonald-house/
http://www.nicksmarathon.org/2015/11/12/announcing-even-more-support-for-the-ronald-mcdonald-house/#commentsThu, 12 Nov 2015 15:59:15 +0000alanhttp://www.nicksmarathon.org/?p=739…

As in years past, the 2015 Nick’s Marathon will raise money to provide new video-games and accessories to The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. But for the first time, not only will we be providing these games to the House in New Hyde Park, but also to the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital!

The Family Room in Stony Brook is relatively new, having just opened in 2013. This special area is located right inside Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital, and it provides an area of respite for the families of children undergoing medical care. It features many of the amenities of home, including a television, fully-stocked fridge, laundry, and even a private bathroom with a shower. The one thing it doesn’t have, however, is video-games.

But that will change this year! Nick’s Marathon has committed to providing the room with a new Nintendo WiiU console, controllers, and games. We are also hoping to provide them with several 3DS handheld systems that can be used in and outside of the Family Room.

Video-games provide sick children and their families a way to temporarily escape their health problems and focus on something much more enjoyable. Nick understood this all to well, regularly turning to games as he recovered from his various cancer treatments. Now, with your support, even more families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island will be able to play a variety of fun new games.

We are just two weeks away from the kick-off of Nick’s Marathon, but we’ve got even more fun stuff planned! On Saturday, December 5th, join us at Keats Bar in New York City for a night of fun, fundraising, and KARAOKE!

(And be warned, many of us like to sing. Badly. Loudly. Repeatedly.)

Come and join us, and your $20 donation at the door goes directly to honoring the memory of a great friend and brightening the lives of sick children. There will be drink specials, good times, and lots of 80′s songs.

Nick’s Marathon 2015 has an official date—the 48 hour gaming session will begin at 8pm on Friday, November 13th, 2015. We’ve got big plans for this year, so be sure to check back here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter for all the latest news!

OUR SUPER BOWL POOL IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT BOXES, AND GOOD LUCK ON SUNDAY!

If you’d still like to make a tax-deductible donation to support Nick’s Marathon, click here!

It’s almost Super Sunday, and that means it’s time once again for the Nick’s Marathon “Big Game” pool (you know the game we mean…)

It works like a standard office pool, only everything is online. Each box costs $10, and you can buy as many as you want. Just use the PayPal button below to pay for your boxes, and then we’ll email you the password so you can make your picks.

Before the big game, numbers will be randomly assigned to the grid. You win when your numbers are the last digits of the scores at the end of each quarter. Half of all the money we raise goes directly to our charity, so here’s how the payouts work:

$500 goes to Nick’s Marathon
$300 goes to the Final Score
$100 goes to the Halftime Score
$50 each go the scores at the end of the 1st and 3rd Quarters

That means you could win up to $500 (if your numbers come up on all 4 quarters!), all while supporting a great cause – it’s win-win!

]]>Last night was the annual Lights of Love Holiday party at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, and, just like last year, Nick’s Marathon came bearing gifts!

We had brand new video games for every system: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and the handhelds, 3DS and Vita. Of course, the whole “toys-to-life” thing is all the rage right now, so we also came with Disney Infinity and Skylanders figures, as well as the Nintendo amiibos.

Needless to say, the kids were pretty thrilled!

The kids seemed to be most excited by Minecraft, NHL 15, and Super Smash Bros., which we know from extensive first-hand experience is a ton of fun to play with a group.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to catch all of the absolute pandemonium on video (our hands were pretty full when we walked in!), but this video gives you some sense of the reaction we got.

These pictures and video illustrate why we do what we do. The kids are ecstatic when they are playing video-games, and, even if it’s just for a little while, they get to forget about everything else. Nick knew that all too well, and as you can see, he isn’t the only one who feels that way.

Once again, we want to thank everyone who helped make all of this happen!